Fighting is a young man’s game, so MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has compiled the top 25 MMA fighters who are 25 years old and younger.

This is the first of a three-part series that runs throughout the week.

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25. Chidi Njokuani (9-3)

The younger brother of WEC and UFC striking staple Anthony Njokuani, Chidi “Chidi Bang Bang” Njokuani is a tall welterweight at 6-foot-3 with a dangerous combination of “One Kick” Nick Blomgren muay Thai and Sergio Penha jiu-jitsu. Only one of his nine wins went the distance. Njokuani’s 89 percent finishing rate is better than his seasoned brother. Despite Anthony being eight years older than 24-year-old Chidi, the younger Njokuani only trails his sibling’s veteran status by two years. Njokuani’s slow and steady approach to the big show is yielding big dividends.

24. Diego Brandao (15-8 MMA, 2-1 UFC)

“The Ultimate Fighter’s” first-ever featherweight winner, Diego Brandao, has a Greg Jackson-trained skillset packaged in a compact 145-pound frame. A pro since his 18th birthday, the 25-year-old stumbled in his first fight beyond the reality-TV tournament after surging spoiler Darren Elkins grinded him down at UFC 146 this past May. “Ceara” rebounded successfully against Joey Gambino five months later. If he betters his cardio, his power becomes all the more threatening over a three-round fight.

23. Charles Oliveira (16-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC)

Charles Oliveira’s submitted two “TUF” winners, Efrain Escudero and Jonathan Brookins, in his two years in the UFC. The 23-year-old’s setbacks in the octagon to 155-pound contenders Jim Miller and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone are nothing to be ashamed about. Most recently, he suffered a KO loss to Cub Swanson, who resurrected his career with a big comeback campaign in 2012. It was another instance of growing up in the octagon via growing pains. Just one of Oliveira’s 16 victories heard the final bell, so the kid is a finisher with years ahead for a proper upswing.

22. Max Holloway (7-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC)

One of the youngest competitors in the octagon, 21-year-old Max Holloway knows how to work over opponents. The Hawaiian featherweight’s high-volume punching output made Pat Schilling appear lost, and it upset hot “TUF” prospect Justin Lawrence. No one in the UFC was busier at 145 pounds than Holloway, who turned around an early-2012 submission defeat to contender Dustin Poirier with a three-fight win streak rounded out by a late-notice split-decision win over long-time Zuffa scrapper Leonard Garcia.

21. Marlon Moraes (9-4)

Marlon Moraes, 24, toppled former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres at the inaugural World Series of Fighting event this past November. In the promotion’s second installment next month, Moraes squares off with lineal Bellator 135-pound champion Tyson Nam. Nam knocked out Bellator’s titleholder Eduardo Dantas in just 96 seconds, which allows Moraes an opportunity to syphon some of Nam’s justifiable hype.

20. Jim Hettes (10-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC)

In winning efforts, Jim Hettes finished all of his opponents except Nam Phan. Against the well-traveled veteran, Hettes splashed onto the UFC scene with a judo and jiu-jitsu grappling display that shut down Phan for 15 minutes. The 25-year-old Midwesterner fought only once in 2012, and he suffered his first career defeat, to fellow promising 145-pound prospect Marcus Brimage. Hettes’ potent grappling certainly will continue to trouble featherweights while his overall game catches up.

19. Gunnar Nelson (10-0-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC)

Renzo Gracie-John Danaher grappling protege Gunnar Nelson is putting Icelandic fighters on the map. The ADCC circuit veteran submitted DeMarques Johnson in his octagon debut in less than five minutes. After starting his career with a draw, Nelson has scored 10 consecutive finishes, including seven by tap-out. The 24-year-old welterweight meets former World Victory Road/Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago in London this weekend. Spoiling the Brazilian’s 170-pound octagon debut would be a critical and successful talent jump in Nelson’s second UFC contest.

18. Brad Tavares (9-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC)

Brad Tavares’ most impressive performance in the UFC may be a loss. Dropping a decision to Aaron Simpson in July 2011, Tavares defended the All-American wrestler’s takedowns stubbornly for 15 minutes. It signaled Tavares’ gym time translates well to the cage as he slowed the “A-Train” despite having no wrestling credentials. His current UFC stint features a takedown-defense rate of 86 percent and wins over tough men Phil Baroni, Dongi Yang and Tom Watson – solid building blocks for the 25-year-old Xtreme Couture middleweight. If he bests Riki Fukuda in Japan in March, he’ll have the resume to mix it up with bigger-name 185-pounders.

17. John Hathaway (17-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC)

English prospect John Hathaway has endured defeat just once since he arrived in the UFC four years ago. He hasn’t had a finish since his debut; however, that amounts to great developmental cage time, including a signature win against the first-ever “TUF” winner, former UFC lightweight title challenger Diego Sanchez. The 25-year-old has strung together a three-fight win streak since the steadily progressing veteran Mike Pyle handed him a defeat. A sizable 170-pound fighter, “The Hitman” is growing into a future U.K. torchbearer in the UFC.

16. Myles Jury (11-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC)

Myles Jury’s “Fury” nickname doesn’t tell the whole story. The undefeated 24-year-old concluded 2012 with his first post-“TUF” contest – a sound decision captured from Blackzilian team member Michael Johnson. Alliance MMA’s Jury demonstrated composure beyond his 24 years as he did what he needed in his first career bout that went the distance. Between his heated battles on “TUF” and marked improvement since the reality-show tournament, Jury is a lightweight worth developing in the sport’s busiest division.

Tune in Wednesday for the fighters ranked No. 6 to 15. The final five are revealed on Thursday.

A total of 26 fighters got their chance to shine on Saturday as part of UFC 190 at Rio de Janeiro’s HSBC Arena. Now that UFC 190 is in the books, it’s time to commence MMAjunkie’s “Three Stars” ceremony.

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